You Can’t Take It With You (Psalm 49)

Confidence in the eternal hope of our promise-keeping God will change the way we live today. In Psalm 49, we discover five universal truths to live by.

We All Need Wisdom (vv. 1-4)

First, we all need wisdom beyond ourselves—divine revelation to understand our lives. “Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together!” (vv. 1-2). Who needs wisdom? We all need wisdom: “all peoples”; “all inhabitants of the world”; “both low and high, rich and poor together”; both peasants and nobility; the wise and the foolish; the humble and the boasting; the wicked and the upright; those who live now and those who will come after them.

So, pay attention: “Hear this, . . . Give ear,” declares the psalmist: “Don’t look around for something better. Don’t fall asleep until you hear this news. Don’t numb yourself with worldly pleasures. Don’t think that wisdom is self-contained in all your glorious awesomeness. I’ve got a message for you from God.” He then prepares us in advance: “My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding” (v. 3). Wisdom must be spoken and spills forth from the one whose heart is set on God. Wisdom is not simply gained by attending the right schools or belonging to the right family. Wisdom is conveyed through words, and specifically, through God’s revelatory Word. Wisdom is passed down from parent to child—from mature believers to those who are newer in the faith. Wisdom fills the soul-uplifting truths which God’s people express in worship.

The word, “understanding,” is related to wisdom, but more action-oriented. It involves “cleverness” and “skill,” like a gifted sculptor shaping precious metal into a masterpiece of art. Understanding is wisdom with work boots on. It is wisdom applied. And such understanding of God and his Word comes only by the meditation of our hearts. Wisdom and understanding means knowing the right truths and also what to do with them.

So, the psalmist continues: “I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre” (v. 4). The psalmist himself will listen to God’s “proverb”—a truth for living well.[1] He inclines his own ear, for the one who speaks for God must begin his ministry by listening to God (Prov 1:5-7). So, the teacher must first be taught. The worship leader must “solve” his riddle to the music of the lyre. Music finds his solution to the mystery of life and death, for the psalmist thinks best as he composes songs of poetry and turns to the Lord as he plays his instrument.[2]

We all deal with various situations in life, but one truth is the same: We all need wisdom beyond ourselves and understanding from the very Word of God. Such divine revelation only comes as we meditate in our hearts and slow down from the busyness of life. God’s Word has to get inside of us to change us from the inside-out. So, let’s pay attention to what the psalmist has to say. Let’s give ear to the wisdom which God has given him to relay. We don’t have the answers to life’s riddles, so we all need wisdom and understanding from above (Jas 3:17).

We All Should Trust in God (vv. 5-9)

This leads to the second truth that all should trust in God. The psalmist asks rhetorically, “Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?” (Ps 49:5-6). He looks around and sees nothing but con artists and cheats. He envies the wicked wealthy who trust only in themselves—prideful fools who flaunt their earthly riches. Truth be told, he’s a little bit intimidated as anxiety rises in his soul.

But then, he reminds himself, “Why fear in times of trouble? Why envy the wealthy wicked? Why trust in worldly riches?”

“I should not fear,” is God’s answer to life’s riddle, “for death is the great leveler of all.” Their riches will not last. Their boasting is in vain. Their cheating to get ahead sends them down a dangerous course of life. It’s maddening to watch the wicked prosper. Yet in the end, God will make all things right.

“Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit” (vv. 7-9). “To see the pit” means that one day everyone’s going to die. No one lives forever. And what will the wicked say when they stand before the Lord? Their riches will not buy them entrance into heaven. Their possessions cannot save them. No matter how many treasures they accumulate, no wealth can pay the ransom for themselves or any other. Not even the richest person in the world can escape from hell, for no one can purchase eternal life. In fact, the moment we die, our bank accounts go to zero and everything we worked for disappears. Everything we valued is no longer ours. When we stand before the Lord, we will be separated from our earthly wealth with nothing in our hands. We cannot take it with us (e.g., Luke 12:13-34).

The Bible speaks of “ransom” using the theological term, “redemption.”[3] For example, when a child was born, especially the firstborn, a redemption price was paid. The precious child was consecrated with a costly sacrifice as an offering to the Lord. “Redemption” also covered the debt for a family member who had been sold into indentured slavery. In this way, physical life was represented by monetary value. Yet no price could cover one’s spiritual life. Therefore, in salvation, only God can buy us back and redeem us from our slavery to sin. God alone can consecrate his adopted children. We could not earn or pay for this redemption. In fact, we deserved God’s wrath (Rom 6:23a). We needed help from Someone with eternal resources—with infinite wealth to pay our debt. That’s why the Bible praises our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who did not redeem us with earthly wealth, but with his precious life. He shed his blood as the costly sacrifice for our sin (1 Peter 1:18-19). According to Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom [or redemption] for many.” For if the only payment accepted for sin was the priceless death of a perfect man, then Christ alone could pay our debt. So, he went down into the pit that we might live forever.

Christ is our redemption, so why should we care about the wealthy wicked who cheat to get ahead in life? Those who cheat and steal can’t save themselves. Those who cling to earthly riches can’t take it with them (Prov 23:4-5). We need Someone who will pay God’s currency—who, in fact, has already done so on our behalf. For when Jesus died upon the cross, he died as our Redeemer and paid the ransom for our sin. All we must do is access his account. It’s got our name on it as cosigners. So, when we profess the name of Jesus Christ as Lord, we claim him as Redeemer and gain access to his account. Then, no matter how much debt we owe, he ransoms us with his eternal riches. No one can purchase their own salvation. But thank God no one needs to, for Christ already has.

We All Will Die (vv. 10-12)

We all should trust in God, for one day all of us will die. According to the psalmist, “For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others” (Ps 49:10). Anyone with eyes wide open can see that all will die: both the wise and the fool; the honored and the brutish. And their money will stay in this realm as they go on to the next. The glory of the rich will fall into the hands of others (Eccl 2:19-21). It’s like that old joke when one bystander whispered to another at the funeral of a wealthy man: “How much did he leave behind?” The answer is everything! Wealth can purchase comfort, and pleasure, and security for a time, but no man controls his life or determines his length of days (Matt 6:27). This truth is so obvious that all of us can see it, yet many refuse to live by it. We know that we will one day leave this earth, but we often act invincible and store up worldly treasures as if that’s all that mattered. In the end, however, everything we own will go to someone else.

Man does not live forever in elaborately constructed mansions, for the grave is his eternal home: “Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names” (Ps 49:11). Famous people are often remembered through the preservation of their homes. Some have streets or even cities named after them. Yet the body’s final resting place is the cemetery with each life summed up by the epitaph on the headstone (Isa 22:16). No matter what we accomplish in this life, all of us will die.[4] The grave is the only property we will keep, for no amount of money or position can buy a single night’s stay in heaven.

“Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish” (Ps 49:12; see Eccl 3:19). No matter how much a man puffs up his glory, he will not live forever. His “pomp” (yeqar) fades in comparison to the “costly” (yaqar) ransom in verse 8, for no pomposity can ever earn God’s favor. No riches can buy off justice, for the price is just too much. Those in the debtor’s prison cannot be saved by any load of cash. Therefore, death is the answer to life’s riddle: the great equalizer between rich and poor (Ps 49:10)—the outcome which makes each man like the beasts (vv. 12, 20). So, our hope is not earthly riches, but the eternal hope of heaven which God has planted in our hearts (Eccl 3:11).

We All Leave Everything Behind (vv. 13-17)

The psalmist then reminds us that we all leave everything behind. “This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah” (Ps 49:13). There are foolish rich people and then there are the fools who follow them, who aspire to be like them, and who approve of their way of life. Every so-called influencer today has millions of social media fans we call “followers.” Our society reveres the rich and famous, pop icons, movie stars, and gifted athletes. Yet too many are fools who pile up so much popularity that no one tells them when they’re wrong. They surround themselves with yes-men who support them in stupidity.

Sadly, “like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell” (v. 14). The wealthy wicked are going to die just like all the rest of us. They are as helpless as sheep being led to the slaughter by Death himself (Jer 9:21), for any fool who rejects the Good Shepherd will end up with a deadly one. The wordplay can even describe a shepherd devouring the sheep who trust him. They won’t be led to quiet streams and luscious pastures, but to the pit of Sheol—the grave. Their bodies will decay and be consumed. They won’t need fancy houses anymore once the grave becomes their final dwelling place. And in the morning, the upright shall rule over them. In the final resurrection, God’s people come out on top (see Ps 17:15; Dan 12:2). Thus, the psalmist declares his ultimate hope: “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah” (Ps 49:15). No man can redeem himself by human effort. No sinner can pay his ransom with earthly wealth.

• We have no way of escaping death and judgment, but for God!
• We cannot overcome the pit of Sheol, but for God!
• The grave would be our final resting place, but for God!
• Only God can ransom the righteous from certain death.
• Only God can shepherd us through the valley of the shadow (23:1; 48:14).
• Only God can receive his people into heaven.

“To receive” is the same word used in Gen 5 when “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him [or received him]” (see Heb 11:5). The psalmist reflects on godly Enoch who walked with God for many years before God took him into heaven without making him pass through death (see 2 Kgs 2:11; Ps 73:24). Genesis 5 recorded a genealogy which rang the constant refrain: “And he died . . . And he died . . . And he died.” Yet for Enoch, the pattern changed: Instead of “And he died,” “God took him.” So also, when we walk with God throughout this life, death is not the final word (1 Cor 15:53-57; 1 Pet 1:3). The grave is not our final resting place, for God himself will receive us into heaven. He will take us up to be with him (1 Thess 4:13-16). Then, the upright will rule the wicked in the final resurrection (1 Cor 6:2). So, the only truth that matters for eternity is the God in whom we trust.

Earlier, the psalmist asked the question, “Why should I fear in times of trouble?” (Ps 49:5). Now he answers: “Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him” (vv. 16-17). It’s so easy to focus on the world around us and to live for man’s approval. Yet we must not measure ourselves in terms of wealth or worldly acclaim. Our identity is not determined by possessions or portfolios. As believers, our lives are hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3). For our God promises not only to redeem us, but also to receive us. He has not only purchased our salvation, but is right now preparing for us a place in heaven (John 14:1-3). Therefore, we place our hope in God. For although we cannot take it with us, we can send it on ahead (Matt 6:19-34).

We All Still Worship (vv. 18-20)

Our final truth to live by is that all still worship, so let’s make sure to worship God. The psalmist describes the rich man: “For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light” (Ps 49:18-19). The wealthy take glory in earthly riches and receive the praise of others in this present life. Yet all of us will one day die just like all who went before us. Like our ancestors, our eyes will never see the light of day again. Therefore, “man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish” (v. 20, see v. 12). Prideful man has neither wisdom nor understanding (see v. 3). He is like the beasts that perish because he does not fear the Lord.

God created all of us as worshipers (Gen 1:26-27). The only question is who or what we worship (e.g., Matt 6:24). So, let us worship our Redeemer—the One who paid our ransom (16:26). Let us live our lives for him (vv. 24-25). Let us love Christ Jesus with all of our heart, trust him with all of our life, and obey him with all of our days. We can’t take our riches with us, but we can send them on ahead.

Life Application Study

1. Compare the wisdom in Psalm 49 with Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.

2. Read the parable in Luke 12:13-21 as an illustration of Psalm 49. How does Jesus caution the wealthy to think about this present life?

3. Do you love/trust/worship Christ more than money and what it can buy (Matt 6:24; 16:24-26)? What evidence proves or disproves your allegiance?

4. When life gets tough, do you trust in earthly resources or in Christ to save you? Take a moment to reflect on the costly sacrifice which Christ paid to ransom and redeem you.

Projects for Growth:

1. Does your money or possessions ever lead to more anxiety? Which truths from Psalm 49 are most impacting to you?
   • We all need wisdom
   • We all should trust in God
   • We all die
   • We all leave everything behind
   • We all worship
2. Examine your financial situation today and begin to leverage it for eternity. How can you joyfully send your wealth ahead (Matt 6:19-34)?[5]
3. Pray Psalm 49:
   • Lord, teach me wisdom and understanding from your Word (vv. 1-4).
   • Place my trust in you when I fear the wicked who surround me (vv. 5-6, 13-14, 16).
   • Thank you for Christ’s precious ransom on my behalf (vv. 7-9)
   • Sober me with the realities of life and death (vv. 10-12, 17-20).
   • Then, receive me on that glorious day when I leave this world behind (v. 15).

[1] Mashal also means “to rule,” so it could be a play on words that the truths which rule the world are also truths for the king to embrace.”

[2] The lyre was a hand-held harp common in ancient times. It was the most beloved instrument of the Jewish people and often used in worship.

[3] The psalmist uses both terms in verses 7-8, “redeem” (padah) and “ransom, atone for” (kopher).

[4] This is true even for the bodies of believers, although our spirit goes on to be with God (2 Cor 5:1-8).

[5] For further study, read Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle (Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 2017).